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SCAD Radio: Chelsea Light Moving is Thurston Moore's boldest work in years

Thurston Moore and Chelsea Light Moving played to a packed house Thursday night during the Savannah Stopover Music Festival. (Photo by Geoff L. Johnson)

If you haven’t heard of Thurston Moore, then take a moment to go and listen to Sonic Youth’s discography.

No really, I’ll wait.

Ok? Great. Now we’re on the same page.

Moore, who was the guitarist for Sonic Youth, recently started a new band called Chelsea Light Moving, and their debut (self-titled) album just came out this month. I was excited to hear that Chelsea Light Moving was playing at the Savannah Stopover Music Festival and decided I should check them out. They were set for the opening night of the festival in the Knights of Columbus ballroom on Liberty Street.

As they took the stage — a barely raised platform against the back wall — Moore informed the crowd that this was only the sixth gig that the band had ever played. It became immediately clear to me that this was the boldest and heaviest music Moore had written since the hiatus of Sonic Youth, and it is a welcome return.

The smaller size of the venue allowed for a more casual and relaxed show, and it was fun to see Moore joking with audience members between songs. Halfway through the set, he asked a woman in the front row if he could have a sip of her beer. When she obliged and announced that she had named her son Thurston, Moore pulled her up on stage to give her a hug. This is obviously the kind of thing you wouldn’t see at your run-of-the-mill show. What I like most about Savannah Stopover (and SXSW) is that you get to see bands that could normally be seen in theaters or clubs in unconventional venues. This allows for a more intimate performance than you would normally get.

At the end of Chelsea Light Moving’s set, Moore hopped right off the stage and walked into the middle of the crowd while still plugged in and still going strong on his guitar. He continued to play right in the middle of the crowd (and right next to me!) until it sounded like he was winding down. But instead of going back to the stage, he just kept jamming until he got to the door, at which point he unplugged and just walked out.

The rest of the band kept playing as the entire crowd stood facing the door, expecting Moore to come back. But he never did.

After a minute or so, the band finished the song and left, too. Moore was still nowhere to be seen. I’d like to think he kept playing as he ran through the streets of Savannah.

Well, wherever he went, Chelsea Light Moving put on a fantastic show, and I think we’ve got a lot more to see from them yet.

Chris Turpen helps kick off your weekend with a mix of garage/surf rock on “In the Garage” Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. on SCAD Radio. For more programming, visit www.scadradio.org.